13 May Health Data News Roundup: Massive Growth in Health Data Usage; Information Blocking and ONC; and CMS Promotes Interoperability

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Round Up from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

Organizations See 878 Percent Health Data Growth Rate Since 2016
Healthcare organizations have seen an explosive health data growth rate of 878 percent since 2016, reaching 8.41 petabytes (PB) on average in 2018, according statistics compiled by Dell EMC.

Information Blocking and Health Data Exchange Challenges Addressed on Capitol Hill
Last week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing about how the 21st Century Cures Act should be a driver for making electronic health records data more available to patients and providers.

Eligibility, Cost Sharing Key Factors for Single-Payer Health Insurance
Eligibility, cost sharing, and the role of private health insurance will be among the primary concerns for policymakers if they choose to design a single-payer health insurance system in the US, according to a recent CBO report.

Consumer-Directed Health Plan Members Spent 13 Percent Less on Care in 2016
Individuals enrolled in consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) in 2016 had 13 percent lower spending on average than those not enrolled in CDHPs, according to a report from Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).

Health Data Exchange Jumps 49 Percent Among Direct Messaging Users
Health data exchange increased by almost 50 percent among DirectTrust participants in the first quarter of 2019, representing record growth for the Direct network.

ConnectVirginia HIE Helps to Reduce Opioid-Related Fatalities
Opioid-related fatalities have declined in Virginia for the first time in six years after the state launched its Emergency Department Care Coordination (EDCC) program with help from the ConnectVirginia health information exchange (HIE.).

CMS Launches Campaign to Share People’s Experiences with Health Data Interoperability
CMS Administrator Seema Verma kicked off a campaign on Twitter to encourage people to share their personal experiences with health information interoperability.